Contents tagged with NATO

  • NATO fighters escorted Russian military aircraft five times last week

    Last week NATO fighter aircraft, as part of the Baltic air patrol mission, scrambled five times to identify and escort Russian military aircraft flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. This was stated in a report from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

    According to the country’s military department, last Tuesday the allied fighters identified and escorted an IL-20 plane en route from the Kaliningrad area to mainland Russia and on Wednesday flew with an An-24 plane flying from …

  • NATO's Agile Spirit 2016 military exercises begin in Georgia

    NATO’s multinational military exercises, Agile Spirit, are being held in Georgia, which includes command and staff exercises as well as field exercises. Besides the Georgian and U.S. military, this year’s Agile Spirit is also attended by representatives from Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia. The goal of the exercise is to improve the interaction of the Georgian military with colleagues from the United States and partner countries, to ensure support of the security in the region and …

  • Ukrainian military says it is ready to adopt Euro-Atlantic principles and standards

    The Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to transition to Euro-Atlantic principles and standards, said Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Chernobay, a spokesperson from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, at a briefing on Friday.

    “Last year fifteen combat brigades, two regiments and four battalions, as well as one brigade, six regiments and eleven battalions of operational, combat, logistics and technical support, were created,” he said.

    According to him, the additional combat units allowed the Armed Forces …

  • NATO: Russia's unpredictable behavior is one of the largest threats to the Alliance

    The increase in Russia’s unscheduled military exercises makes NATO worried. The Alliance believes that Russia’s unpredictable behavior, along with the crisis in the Middle East is currently one of the most significant threats, Yle reports.

    At the same time, according to the Finnish media, the general rules and agreements developed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) do not work in this case.

    "The agreement has a loophole that allows for emergency exercises, but …

  • US gives armored ambulances to Ukrainian military

    U.S. military representatives have given the first five of the 40 planned Burtek B4731 medical evacuation vehicles for use by the Ukrainian military; the vehicles were delivered to the parade ground of the central area of the International peacekeeping and security camp.

    As reported on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, acting Ukrainian Minister of Health, Uliana Suprun, and the Commander of the National Land Forces Academy, Lt. Gen. Pavlo Tkachuk, represented Ukraine at the …

  • NATO's involvement in the fight against ISIS will weaken airspace control over Eastern Europe

    NATO’s participation in the fight against the so-called Islamic State will lead to a loosening of NATO airspace control in eastern and central Europe, the DPA news agency reported on Saturday, August 27, citing sources in military circles.

    According to the agency, the alliance does not have enough AWACS radio detection aircraft systems to comply with US demands to continue the fight against the so-called Islamic State, without reducing activity in the other areas. Therefore, military experts …

  • High-ranking US General: Russia wants to destroy NATO

    General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the USA believes that Russia is “a basic threat” along with Iran, China and North Korea, as well as "violent extremism." Dunford expressed his opinion on Tuesday, August 23rd during a speech to students of the National Defense University in Washington. The Pentagon released a statement to the effect that according to the general, these four countries could provoke "different degrees of concern."

    Dunford mentioned that Russia is …

  • Biden reassures Baltic States of NATO's commitment to their defense

    The Vice-President of the United States, Joe Biden, guaranteed NATO’s assistance to the Presidents of the Baltic States. Biden urged them to not take the statements of the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, Donald Trump, seriously.

    The Vice-President of the United States promised the Baltic States solid support as NATO partners. On the 23rd of August, Joe Biden stated at a meeting with the Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, that Washington considers itself …

  • Finland to sign military cooperation agreement with the US

    Finland plans to sign an agreement on military cooperation with Washington before the presidential elections in the USA. Reuters quoted Finland’s Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö in its report.

    According to Niinistö, the framework agreement, carried out against the backdrop of growing discontent in the Nordic countries with the Russian military activity in the region, will not contain obligations for military assistance, which would imply NATO membership.

    "It will cover areas in which we …

  • Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO: Military buildup in Crimea is not directed against NATO

    The build-up of Russian military forces in the Crimea is not directed at anyone, including NATO. According to RIA Novosti, this was said by Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO, Alexander Grushko.

    “Somehow, there exists a kind of contrived element of intimidation of public opinion if we talk about the perception of what we are doing in the Crimea. NATO is actually well aware that a very serious Russian component has always been present in the Crimea at all times,” Grushko explained. …